Richard Gere: Shifting Geres

Q: Did Jeffrey Katzenberg really get down on his knees, begging you to say yes?

A: No. Jeffrey doesn't beg, Jeffrey is just persistent. He knows what's right. Look, the last film in the world that I thought would be successful was Pretty Woman. But Jeffrey knew. I said to him, "There's no part here, it's ridiculous." "No," he said, "You've got to do this movie."

Q: You threatened to walk off the picture if anyone asked you to dye your hair. Why?

A: That's true. I think I said if anyone mentioned that again I'd walk off. I don't mind doing it if it's right for the piece, but in that one it made no sense.

Q: Will you be working with Julia Roberts again in Manhattan Ghost Story and in an update of To Catch a Thief?

A: The last one I don't even know about. Thanks, I'll call my agent. There's one that we almost did together and then both said no, which wasn't either of the ones you've mentioned. I'm sure she and I will find something else, because we like each other and play well together.

Q: What was your take on the intrigue surrounding The Cotton Club?

A: It was the most insane carnival sideshow I've ever been a part of. And ever wish to be a part of. There's a few of us who were there from the very beginning to the end who know the whole story. I'm not even talking about the murders and all that stuff--just making the movie. It was so bizarre that no one would believe it. On some level it would be dangerous for me to even talk about it. [Nervous laugh] There's three of us--[producer Robert] Evans, me, and [director Francis] Coppola--who can look at each other and go .... [Shrug]

Q: Didn't you get caught pissing on a New York sidewalk during the making of that movie?

A: Yeah, I had reason to be pissing! [Laughs] I was peeing in an alley late at night and a cop came up to me and said, "I'm going to have to give you a summons, Mr. Gere. And by the way, if you need any security, here's my card."

Q: If you had a chance to remake The Cotton Club, would you?

A: No.

Q: What about King David?

A: That I would do again, better.

Q: Did King David make you aware that you're better served in a contemporary background?

A: Not at all. We were clear in our heads about the kind of movie we were making, but we hadn't figured out how to do it yet. And it ended up being conventional, which was a waste of time.

Q: Some say that your best characters, like the media consultant you played in Power, the cop in Internal Affairs and the lawyer in Primal Fear, are narcissistic and venal. Ever give that any thought?

A: No. I don't want to. I probably play good villains because I'm not really villainous, so I try to find some original way of doing it. It's much harder to play a good person. Playing normal and being interesting is the hardest thing in the world. Henry Fonda did it all the time. You've got to be transparent. You can't tart it up. You can't hide behind it. You've got to be totally open. It's much easier playing a retarded guy with a limp.

Q: What went wrong with Mr. Jones?

A: You're assuming there's something wrong with it.

Q: You yourself said: "When you fail at this level, with everyone watching, it can hurt real bad."

A: I've made failures, but I don't consider that a failure. I didn't think I was talking about that film when I said that. Maybe I'm losing my memory. I think that film would have been better served if it was a straight character piece. [But] it had larger ambitions. [The character I played] was representing America. The '60s were the manic time, and the '80s were the depressed time. The manic-depression of America was the subtextual gestalt, but we couldn't make that work.

Q: When you work, do you separate from the character at the end of the day?

A: More than I used to. When I was younger, I'd get off being able to stay in character. But you also have to, to feel confident that you know what you're doing, that you've got that character by the tail. As you continue acting, you realize you don't have to do that. In fact, it's better if you don't. I've always had fun exploring my characters, and if I liked something about them I'd embrace it and bring it into my own personality. That's one of the cliched joys of being an actor--that you get to try a lot of different parts on yourself. Some you like and you say, Yeah, I want to use that, that will be me from now on.

Q: Would you ever want to see your family members become actors?

A: No actor encourages family members to do it. It's not a healthy environment. Few people survive. Few people make a living.

Q: Mark Rydell, who directed you in Intersection, said you seem to be at peace with yourself. Are you?

A: [Laughs]

Q: Rydell also called you the Gable for the '90s.

A: [Facetiously] That's probably true.

Q: What kind of meditation do you do now?

A: It's hard to explain. It's a little esoteric for Movieline.

Q: Have you ever sat zazen?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you do yoga as well?

A: Just started to. Tai chi does the same--I do the tai chi warm-up before I go into meditation.

Q: Does a lot of grief come out through meditation?

A: In the initial stages. People are overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that comes up, which normally you're not conscious of.

Q: Is the goal to clear your mind?

A: The goal would be transcendence. Clearing your mind is essentially making it useful to do the real work.

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